Along with the increasing maturity and popularization of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access technology, and a requirement of a user on high-speed wireless access, operators at home and abroad are striving to develop WLAN services. As 2nd Generation (2G) and 3rd Generation (3G) splitting means, the WLAN services play a more and more important role. The WLAN access technology belongs to a complementary access mode of a fixed network, and how to effectively master and manage an access condition of the user through the WLAN in real time becomes a key for the development of a WLAN value-added service. Meanwhile, the network optimization can be facilitated by the operators.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a networking scenario of a WLAN according to a related art, and as shown in FIG. 1, the WLAN mainly includes User Equipment (UE), an Access Point (AP), an Access Controller (AC), a Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) and an Authentication Authorization Accounting (AAA) server. Under the scenario shown in FIG. 1, the UE is an 802.1X client, the AP is a wireless AP provided for the UE to access a wired network, the AC is used to manage the AP and transmit a data configuration to the AP, and simultaneously serves as an 802.1X authenticator and a Remote Authentication Dial In Service (RADIUS) client, the BNG is a RADIUS proxy, and the AAA server is a RADIUS server.
In the related art, under an interaction architecture between the WLAN access network and a fixed network, the UE needs to be authenticated before an accounting operation of the AC and the BNG. A UE authentication flow based on the scenario shown in FIG. 1 is introduced below, FIG. 2 is a flowchart of UE authentication according to the related art, and the UE is attached to the fixed network, and is subjected to access authentication. The UE authentication flow includes the following steps that (Step 202-Step 226):
Step 202: the UE transmits an Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN (EAPoL)-Start message to the AC to start 802.1X access authentication;
Step 204: the AC transmits an EAP-Identity-Request message to the UE to request the UE to report a user identity;
Step 206: the UE returns an EAP-Identity-Response message to the AC, wherein the EAP-Identity-Response message includes the user identity;
Step 208: the AC encapsulates a received EAP frame into a RADIUS-Access-Request message, and transmits the RADIUS-Access-Request message to the BNG; and meanwhile, the AC adds a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the UE into the RADIUS-Access-Request message;
Step 210: the BNG, as the RADIUS proxy, transmits the RADIUS-Access-Request message to the RADIUS AAA server;
Step 212: the RADIUS AAA server returns a RADIUS-Access-Response message, wherein RADIUS-Access-Response message includes EAP Challenge;
Step 214: the BNG forwards the RADIUS-Access-Response message to the AC;
Step 216: the AC decapsulates the EAP frame, and transmits the EAP frame to the UE, and the UE gives a response, wherein a response message includes a Challenged Password;
Step 218: the AC encapsulates the received EAP frame into the RADIUS-Access-Request message, and transmits the RADIUS-Access-Request message, wherein the RADIUS-Access-Request message includes the Challenged Password;
Step 220: the BNG forwards the RADIUS-Access-Request message to the AAA server;
Step 222: if the UE is successfully authenticated, the Broadband Forum (BBF) AAA server returns a RADIUS-Access-Accept message;
Step 224: the BNG stores the user identity and MAC address of the UE, and forwards the RADIUS-Access-Accept message to the AC; and
Step 226: the AC decapsulates the EAP frame, and transmits an EAP-Success message to the UE, and the authentication of the UE is completed.
In the related art, under the interaction architecture between the WLAN network and the fixed network, the function division of the AC and the BNG in an accounting flow is not yet clear, and there is no better solution particularly for how to trigger accounting under the scenario shown in FIG. 1.
For the problem that the function division of the AC and the BNG during the accounting operation in the related art is not yet clear, there is yet no effective solution.